Chapter 2

Three months later, and I still couldn't stop thinking about him.

I pressed a hand to my lower abdomen as another sharp pain moved  beneath my ribs. This was different from the usual stretching aches I'd grotten used to.

My baby, the little wolf growing inside me was the only thing that mattered now. Not the Alpha who'd rejected me. Not the mate bond that still pulled at my chest.

Lila's bed was empty when I woke up. She'd promised to come with me to the doctor, but I couldn't blame her for leaving. Staying with a rejected omega carrying an Alpha's bastard child was dangerous enough. That association alone could get her killed.

Still, the loneliness settled deep in my bones.

I'd left that pack the night of the rejection, slipped away under cover of darkness with nothing but a shattered bond and my mother's necklace, not even my father knew where I'd gone.

It was better and safer that way.

I stood in front of the hospital and remembered why I hated them so much but I loved my baby more than I hated anything else.

I needed to know the pain meant nothing and that my pup was safe.

"You're here for a checkup?" The receptionist's amber eyes found me before I even spoke, sensing what I was.

I swallowed hard. "Yes. I need to see my doctor."

She gestured down a sterile hallway, her expression softening just enough to feel like pity. "Follow me."

Doctor Velaris waited in her office, hands folded on the desk. Her dark hair had streaks of silver in them Silver and her sharp eyes softened when they landed on my belly.

"Is everything alright?" Worry creased her face.

"I've been having pains." The words tumbled out too fast. "They started two days ago. I just...I need to know if my baby is okay."

She stood immediately, moving around the desk to kneel before me. Her warm hands settled just above my abdomen, and I felt the gentle pulse of her healing magic.

"You should have come sooner."

"I'm here now. That's what matters, right?"

She murmured something under her breath, as her magic flowed. I stared at the ceiling, blinking hard against the memories that always came uninvited.

The snap of the mate bond locking into place.

The hope that I felt in my chest when I told him.

The ice in Wraith Blackwood's eyes when he'd stepped back and said, "I will not take an omega as my mate."

Not even when I begged.

A soft pulse brushed against my senses, snapping me back to the present.

Doctor Velaris smiled faintly. "Your child is strong. Stubborn, even."

I let out a deep sigh I didn't know I was holding. "Then why does it hurt?"

She pulled back slowly, studying my face. "Amaris, your baby is healthy but these pains aren't just physical. You've been under tremendous stress, and it's affecting the little one."

My stomach twisted. "Stress? I don't—I can't—"

"You need to slow down." She read the panic in my eyes. "But I know you're alone and need money to survive. I won't pretend otherwise. Life doesn't pause because you're carrying a child."

I nodded, biting my lip until I hit filled my mouth.

"I can help you." Her voice turned firm. "I can offer you a place here with my pack. You get work, food, shelter, even protection. You wouldn't be alone, and I could monitor your pregnancy. Keep both of you safe."

My chest tightened because she was offering me a pack, stability and safety. Everything I didn't have.

I shook my head. "I can't, I can't belong to anyone right now. I have to do this on my own."

"Walking alone without a pack is dangerous." Her eyes darkened. "Not everyone will care that you're pregnant. Some will see it as weakness."

"I don't have a choice."

"You do Amaris, you're just too stubborn to take it."

I pressed a hand to my stomach instinctively, feeling the tiny life flutter beneath my palm. "I'll be careful, I promise."

Doctor Velaris sighed, disappointment flickering across her face. "That's all I can ask." She stood, placing a small bottle of pills on the desk. "This is for the pain. And please, don't carry all of this alone. Stress can kill faster than hunger."

I took the pills and left before she could see me cry.

The city streets were cold, shadows stretching long under flashing streetlamps. I pulled my cloak tighter, trying to shake the unease crawling up my spine.

I'd survived this long. I could keep surviving.

Then I felt it a little too late.

A figure jumped from the alley, it's teeth bared, and it's claws extended. I didn't need a soothsayer to know this was a rogue

I stumbled backward, instinct screaming at me to run, but my legs were heavy, and my belly aching from the sudden jolt of fear.

"Stay back!" My voice cracked.

My wolf flared weakly, trying to protect the life inside me.

The rogue snarled, advancing. I could smell his desperation, his hunger, the madness that came from living without a pack too long.

He attacked me so fast, I  barely raised my arms before he crashed into me, his claws tearing through my clothes and skin. Pain exploded across my shoulder and I hit the ground hard. In all this, my hands were still wrapped around my baby.

"No...please..."

He raised his claws again and I summoned every ounce of strength I had left and shoved him back. He hissed as his back hit the wall, fury blazing in his eyes.

"I don't want to fight!" My voice broke. "Please!"

A horn blared from somewhere nearby and the rogue hesitated, ears pointing upwards, then he disappeared back into the shadows, leaving only the echo of his snarl and the scent of blood.

My blood.

I sank to the ground, trembling, as I sobbed, relief and terror mixing in my chest.

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I whispered but it was of no use because sorry wouldn't keep us safe.

Nothing would.